Viva La Rotary!

This past Monday evening Cynthia and I attended the Change of Horses Banquet held by my Rotary Club, Will Rogers Rotary. The event was held at Five Oaks Lodge in Jenks, America amid a rustic setting comiserant of Will Rogers himself. We enjoyed a nice meal, good conversation, and saw the past officers pass the gavel to the new officers. In addition to Lucy Cravens being made this year's president yours truly was named Co-Sergeant At Arms (no, I don't get to yield a gun!) Kim Montgomery and I will be responsible for fulfilling the duties together for this year which will consist largely of ordering the meetings we attend weekly. She and I are scheming how to get away from the singing we start our meetings off with! LOL! Anyway, what is Rotary? It is an organization founded to bring business leaders together for the good of the world and is responsible for wiping polio off the face of the earth in addition to many other worthwhile endeavors. We have assisted with Tsunami victims, supplying much needed water to villages doing without, and medical supplies around the world. If you ever desire to attend a Rotary meeting with me I will treat you to lunch. Viva La Rotary!

Tim Receiving His Pin 

Rusty & Renay Riggs Baby Shower

LaDonna and Cynthia co-hosted a Baby Shower for Rusty and Renay this Saturday at our home. In keeping with the happy couple's baby theme the entire party was done in Hawaiian regalia. From the cake to the backyard everything was tropical, bright, and festive. Rusty & Renay were blessed with lots of family and friends who brought them many gifts to help them get started raising their first child. There was lots of food, laughter, and good cheer on hand. What a way to embark on this journey of parenthood! We all wish them well!! Hats of to LaDonna and Cynthia for a party well done!!!

Let The Party Begin! 

My Beautiful Sunshine 

Sandwiches, Brownies, & Goodies 

Cake & Punch 

Table Spread 

Jamie & Shanea 

The Gifts 

Cake anyone? 

Having a blast! 

Enjoying the Patio 

Frank, Diane, Renay & Rusty 

Renay & Rusty 

Keeping My Brush Wet

One way to speed up completing your To-Do list is to plan an event. While we usually don't let grass grow under our feet anyway the Baby Shower planned for this weekend has caused us to expedite our chores! In addition to the normal preparation for hosting such an event we decided Tuesday night to redo our dining room! LOL! We removed the wallpaper and ugly drapes, faux painted the top half, painted the woodwork with a white oil based enamel, and painted the bottom half with a deep burgundy (5 coats! lol!) and added wood blinds. The result is fantastic as the pictures below will show. Not only did it tie in to the rest of the home but it matched our rug perfectly! An added plus! LOL! In addition to the pictures of our newly renovated dining room I have included some pictures of the yard and our newly painted front door. Feel free to post comments as I love reading what you write. Have a great day and an even better weekend!!

Finished Product

Finished Product 2 

Backyard Resort

Backyard Resort 2

Backyard Resort 3

Another Angle

Flower Bed & New Bench

Red Door 

If I Had Know Then What I Know Now

If I had known then what I know now…. Wow! The topics that could follow such an introductory statement! Yet I am thinking of children while listening to a country western song extolling the love and innocence of a little girl for her daddy. On and on he croons “there goes my life” in celebration of the little girl in curls whom he loves more than he can imagine. Wait until that little girl hits the teenage years and the exalted father is reduced to a mumbling idiot with nothing to offer her!

I suppose my concept of the whole matter is prejudiced by my own life experience but who can help that??! The little girl whose world so revolved around the daddy-daughter relationship just a few years ago has been reduced to a somewhat estranged relationship that only offers a muted “uh-huh” to my parting line “I love you.” How can this be? I not only changed her diapers and bathed her but taught her the love of reading, fishing, bike riding, and so many other wonderful life experiences. I, like the dad songwriter, went to every school activity and supported her every endeavor. I introduced her to God, Shakespeare, Poe, nature, and the intrinsic details of life as we encountered it. Pouring into her all that I have and all that I am but….. Today? “Uh-huh.”

Where is this going? You might wonder. I wouldn’t change the songwriter’s heart felt expression at all. No doubt he will need his present emotion to ride out the ones to come. I suppose I am coming to the conclusive thought, “If I had known then what I know now….I would do it all over again.” As a testament to a father’s love, unrequited or not, I have to say that children, with all their disappointments, are still our blessing. I suppose that the ability to make such a statement is a throwback to the God character that lies within us due to His making us “in His own image” and it is certainly reflective of how He must feel about us.

So? I say “Sing on!” to the cowboy crooner and plod on to the parents employed in the task of teaching their children. Personally, I am hoping my children will one day come to the point that mature children often do….to the place where Dad is elevated to the place he once occupied but in a new enlightened manner that allows adult interaction and mutual enjoyment resulting in satisfaction all the way around.

Steve, Katrina, Nick, & Tim

A Lesson From Nature

Nature, by God's design, leaves little lessons for the observant onlooker to find. One such lesson manifested itself in our very own backyard. When we installed a new shepherd's rod to hang our Finch feeder on we inadvertently moved the wild bird food too close which resulted in the sparrow's chasing off our favorite yellow finches. To rectify the situation I simply moved the wild bird food about twenty-five feet west locating it in a nice spot beside the rose bushes. When the sparrows returned for their evening dinner they completely overlooked the fresh food and concentrated on the remnants scattered on the ground where it was originally located. To my amazement (and amusement as well) they would literally fly over the feast I had intentionally left for them to pick at the few seeds that were left over from where they used to feed.

.....

And here is the lesson that emerges....how many times do we go right by the feast that God has purposely and deliberately set out for us? Literally bypassing His "handfuls on purpose" to forage through the fragments of yesterday's blessings simply because He is blessing us in places and ways we haven't been yet? I don't want to be so enslaved by habit or bound by inflexible thinking that I miss out on God's fresh blessings!

.....

So, I owe a debt to the birds for the lesson they inadvertently taught me in my own backyard and to God for leaving such lessons for me to learn from. I am ready, God! Wherever and however you want to bless, I have my bib on and my fork in my hand! Bon appétit everyone!

Old Habits Die Hard 

A Feast Ignored 

Shoemaker Family Reunion

The Shoemaker Family Reunion took place this weekend at Betty & Abner's home in Locust Grove. Everyone gathered for food, fun, and the festivities! There was some hot Ping Pong going in the garage (and I do mean hot as we were dripping with sweat!!) as well as some water fun in the backyard. Others played Bacci Ball in the front yard, sat under the trees telling stories, or trapsing back and forth from the feast that was spread out in the kitchen. Grandpa Royce was brought from the Convalescent Center to join all that attended, Zula Mae and Dale were in from Texas, and kinfolk were as "thick as thieves". A grand time was had by all. A huge thanks to Cynthia's parents for hosting this fantastic event!!!

Betty & Zula Mae